— 160 — 
dant, n’est pas nouvellement connu, car M. Laraarre Picquot, 
dfes 1825 en avail envove des oeufs en France. La soie donne 
des tissus imperissables comine vous le voyez, par l'extrait des 
2 lettres du Colonel Lowther. RI. Channel a eu la complai- 
sance de m’euvoyer le Journal oil dies sont publiees, et je crois 
cette communication as3ez interessante pour Ini donner place 
dans nos Proceedings a titre de renseignements : 
A NEW SILK WORM. 
We have the pleasure of printing below two new letters 
from that indefatigable well wisher to Natal, Lieut. -Colonel 
Lowther, who sends his correspondent, Mr McKen, by each 
opportunity eggs of the gigantic Satnrnia Atlas moth. These 
Mr McKen has placed in the hands of Mr Arthur Harvey, 
Mr Walker of Umzinto, and Mr If. Millar of Durban. A 
portion kept by himself, he informs us, appear to be all right ; 
but from an extract of a note to us printed in our Summary 
we regret to learn that those handed to Mr Harvey had ap- 
parently been hatched in transitu. If we can succeed in in- 
troducing this moth it will be a great acquisition. Colonel 
Lowther states that the silk, even made in the rude native 
Indian way, is worth 2s. per yard, and is almost indestructible. 
Our Colony will furnish the worm with abundant food, as 
several species of the genus Zizyphus or Jujube tree abound 
native in our bush. The Palma-Ghrisbi or Castor-oil plant, if 
that is what Colonel Lowther means, is also abundant, but 
possibly this may be a slop of the pen Zizyphus Spina-Cliristi. 
Several species, however, of Satnrnia do feed, as Mr McKen 
informs us, on the leaves of the Castor-oil tree. 
“ We shall await with interest the result of this new experi- 
ment, and hope to be favored with the results by some of the 
various gentlemen named. The Atlas belongs tothe same family 
of insects with the common silkworm moth but greatly exceeds 
it in size, measuring eight inches across the wings ! In China, 
of which country it is also a native, the worm is said to feed 
upon the orange. If this is correct it might also be supported 
hero upon the Myaris iuwqvolis, a native belonging to that 
